[Lina]

http://www.comcast.n...bian.Prom.Date/

We all know the story about the cancelled prom, but now the dispute is over. What are your thoughts on the settlement?

This post has been edited by Lina: 20 July 2010 - 05:19 PM

[TaiyakiOni]

Alright here's my thoughts;

Boo hoo, they canceled prom because your a lesbian. Good for you suing them for doing so, that is if suing them was with the intent of making sure changes were made so it doesn't ever happen again.

But suing the school district and settling for a monetary settlement is wrong, doing that your hurting the school district's budget to buy things for students to make the schools run more efficiently, taking money the school district really can't afford to lose.

You went in for the right reasons but came out with the wrong ones. And anyone who disputes think about this, they made the settlement offer but she accepted the money which makes her just as wrong for doing so.

Give back the money to the schools so they can continue to benefit students.

[Krystal]

I think that she should have sued for the money needed to throw prom, and throw one herself. No need to make other students suffer.

[CrimsonAnime]

I'm glad that she got something out of the deal. Yeah, throwing money on the issue seems like a "whatever" response but sadly, what else was she PERSONALLY supposed to get. School is over for her. There is no "oh you can go to prom next year and be the Prom Queen". Her time to have those memories have been taken away by the people that canceled her prom. She had nothing to ask for than the hope that the school would change for future students. And the school did. The money, looked like it was to shut her up. But at least she can get something out of this. She was bale to pay for school and the money that they gave her is enough to pay for a full year - something she probably wouldn't have been able to do with the odd transfer record she would have had because of the fact she was isolated in her home town and almost forced to move elsewhere.

In the end, I wish she could have gotten some kinda new policy enforced but at least she got SOMETHING and she did the right thing with the money

[Voxx]

I'm sure the money was to keep her mouth shut, and something positive came out of it with the school agreeing to follow a non discrimination policy (even though they said they had one to begin with). I am on the fence with this one. I'm all for equal rights, but something just seems fishy here.. I just can't put my finger on it.

[TaiyakiOni]

Ska_Toranpetta, on 20 July 2010 - 06:13 PM, said:

I'm sure the money was to keep her mouth shut, and something positive came out of it with the school agreeing to follow a non discrimination policy (even though they said they had one to begin with). I am on the fence with this one. I'm all for equal rights, but something just seems fishy here.. I just can't put my finger on it.

Kinda hard to keep her mouth shut when the case is all over the news. And I agree, there is something fishy with it...

Quote

In the end, I wish she could have gotten some kinda new policy enforced but at least she got SOMETHING and she did the right thing with the money

Buying herself a college education is probably the best decision to make with the money since she accepted it, but the fact that she was given and accepted a monetary settlement really doesn't sit right with me. I'd rather she NOT have accepted the full 35k, makes her seem like a sell out somewhat if she's willing to drop it and settle for money and for a non discrimination policy ( which already existed ). That money is used to pay teacher salaries, buy new equipment for schools, books, computers, pay for many things the schools need. She took it, the school district will suffer but at the expense of it's teachers and students who were NOT the one's responsible. I say make those responsible suffer personally, and make them resign and get better people in those seats.

And if she went to COMMUNITY college for the first two years of school before transferring into a 4 year school she'd have spent about $10 at MOST for two years, get all her gen. ed. classes out of the way then gone to a pricey school.

Any way you paint it, taking money from the schools seems wrong. Did she deserve something for the school's damages against her? Sure, but not at the expense of the other students going to school.

[wrexness]

TaiyakiOni, on 20 July 2010 - 05:29 PM, said:

Alright here's my thoughts;

Boo hoo, they canceled prom because your a lesbian. Good for you suing them for doing so, that is if suing them was with the intent of making sure changes were made so it doesn't ever happen again.

But suing the school district and settling for a monetary settlement is wrong, doing that your hurting the school district's budget to buy things for students to make the schools run more efficiently, taking money the school district really can't afford to lose.

You went in for the right reasons but came out with the wrong ones. And anyone who disputes think about this, they made the settlement offer but she accepted the money which makes her just as wrong for doing so.

Give back the money to the schools so they can continue to benefit students.

You think this $35k settlement won't be in the back of the minds of any other administrator in the country if the situation comes up again? Sometimes hitting them in the pocket book is the only way to get through to them. Don't forget that had she continued to press the lawsuit, in all likelihood the district would've been out MORE money by waging a protracted legal battle. You're talking about a government entity being accused of violating an individual's rights; that's a case that can go as high as the Supreme Court. And assuming that the district lost that case, they'd have to pay restitution, the plantiff's legal fees, AND their own legal fees.

The school obviously thought that they were going to lose (and even in the earlier case where it was decided they did not have to put the prom back on, it was decided that her rights were violated), so the easiest way to do it is give her some money and agree to her terms. This is a girl that was attacked at her school and ostracized by her community for being who she is, if anything money is not sufficient a punishment because those are relationships, time and memories that she will not get back, but since we don't have time machines financial compensation is the only real alternative.

TaiyakiOni, on 20 July 2010 - 06:31 PM, said:

Buying herself a college education is probably the best decision to make with the money since she accepted it, but the fact that she was given and accepted a monetary settlement really doesn't sit right with me. I'd rather she NOT have accepted the full 35k, makes her seem like a sell out somewhat if she's willing to drop it and settle for money and for a non discrimination policy ( which already existed ). That money is used to pay teacher salaries, buy new equipment for schools, books, computers, pay for many things the schools need. She took it, the school district will suffer but at the expense of it's teachers and students who were NOT the one's responsible. I say make those responsible suffer personally, and make them resign and get better people in those seats.

And if she went to COMMUNITY college for the first two years of school before transferring into a 4 year school she'd have spent about $10 at MOST for two years, get all her gen. ed. classes out of the way then gone to a pricey school.

Any way you paint it, taking money from the schools seems wrong. Did she deserve something for the school's damages against her? Sure, but not at the expense of the other students going to school.

Whether or not the policy was on the books is irrelevant; the administrators didn't follow it, and there's no guarantee they will follow it in the future unless you make them. She really doesn't have the right to ask for those administrators to resign, but odds are they will be forced to because of this result. Besides, it's not really your place to tell her how to go to school. If she doesn't want to go to community college, she no longer has to (if she ever did). If she wants to go to a higher-tier school from semester one, she can now. Like it or not, the money is now hers to do as she pleases. In the end, this will be a relatively small cost financially for a huge lesson learned by the school.

[Dark Stranger]

TaiyakiOni, on 20 July 2010 - 05:29 PM, said:

Alright here's my thoughts;

Boo hoo, they canceled prom because your a lesbian. Good for you suing them for doing so, that is if suing them was with the intent of making sure changes were made so it doesn't ever happen again.

But suing the school district and settling for a monetary settlement is wrong, doing that your hurting the school district's budget to buy things for students to make the schools run more efficiently, taking money the school district really can't afford to lose.

You went in for the right reasons but came out with the wrong ones. And anyone who disputes think about this, they made the settlement offer but she accepted the money which makes her just as wrong for doing so.

Give back the money to the schools so they can continue to benefit students.

Agreed

[jsieczkar]

I don't think the settlement has anything to do with whether they think they could win or not. The main reason they would have settles was that it ends it quickly and the media will lose interest very fast. If it goes to trial then it will drag on for at least a month with procedural issues alone. As it stretches on the media would become more and more interested in the story and the bad PR would continue. Most companies and civic entities will normally settle out of court to avoid the bad PR that a trial brings plus details can be kept confidential.

[Jack_of_hearts]

TaiyakiOni, on 20 July 2010 - 06:31 PM, said:

I'd rather she NOT have accepted the full 35k, makes her seem like a sell out somewhat if she's willing to drop it and settle for money and for a non discrimination policy ( which already existed ). That money is used to pay teacher salaries, buy new equipment for schools, books, computers, pay for many things the schools need. She took it, the school district will suffer but at the expense of it's teachers and students who were NOT the one's responsible. I say make those responsible suffer personally, and make them resign and get better people in those seats.

And if she went to COMMUNITY college for the first two years of school before transferring into a 4 year school she'd have spent about $10 at MOST for two years, get all her gen. ed. classes out of the way then gone to a pricey school.

according to the article, she IS going to a community college. 35k isn't as much as you think. sure, she could get out in two years for 10k, then turn around and pay up to 17k per semester at a university just in tuition.

It also says that the insurance company is going to pay the money. So the school district is only out a premium. I highly doubt the funding will be extremely affected. If you think about it, they could have settled out of court because they didn't want the government going "you're violating rights, we're going to audit you and cut your funding in half". like someone said earlier, settling out of court cost the school a LOT less.

And in a way, she did do something to support equality. any other school that wants to try keeping people from going to prom for having a same gender date is going to look at this case and ask themselves, "is not having two girls/guys dancing together REALLY worth 35k?"

[sentinel28a]

Jack_of_hearts, on 20 July 2010 - 08:58 PM, said:

according to the article, she IS going to a community college. 35k isn't as much as you think. sure, she could get out in two years for 10k, then turn around and pay up to 17k per semester at a university just in tuition.

It also says that the insurance company is going to pay the money. So the school district is only out a premium. I highly doubt the funding will be extremely affected. If you think about it, they could have settled out of court because they didn't want the government going "you're violating rights, we're going to audit you and cut your funding in half". like someone said earlier, settling out of court cost the school a LOT less.

And in a way, she did do something to support equality. any other school that wants to try keeping people from going to prom for having a same gender date is going to look at this case and ask themselves, "is not having two girls/guys dancing together REALLY worth 35k?"

Depending on the community college, $35,000 can either go a long ways or not very far at all. Tuition is, as a lot of you know these days, outrageous.

I made my feelings clear on the subject on the last thread we had about this. While the school district isn't blameless, IMHO the girl didn't cover herself in glory either. She knew damn good and well that this would throw a grenade into the prom, and she managed to ruin it for everyone else. I don't know if she was looking for acceptance of her lifestyle or quick cash was her intention all along, but there are much better ways she could've made her point without resorting to this.

It's just a sad situation all around. I'm just glad it's over, but I'm not looking forward to the next time someone decides, "Hey, I could use a college tuition payment..."

Ben Da Mad Irishman

[Isamu]

I just hope the district doesn't raise property taxes in order to offset the part they had to pay.

[Floobersman]

TaiyakiOni, on 20 July 2010 - 05:29 PM, said:

Alright here's my thoughts;

Boo hoo, they canceled prom because your a lesbian. Good for you suing them for doing so, that is if suing them was with the intent of making sure changes were made so it doesn't ever happen again.

But suing the school district and settling for a monetary settlement is wrong, doing that your hurting the school district's budget to buy things for students to make the schools run more efficiently, taking money the school district really can't afford to lose.

You went in for the right reasons but came out with the wrong ones. And anyone who disputes think about this, they made the settlement offer but she accepted the money which makes her just as wrong for doing so.

Give back the money to the schools so they can continue to benefit students.

Five thumbs up, Totally agreed!

[SongstressLenne]

I wasn't happy when I found out the other prom the school set up was a possible decoy to keep her away. If it seriously was the case then she has every right to fight the school over this, I don't see a reason for money costs other than lawyer fees and the cost of what her prom was though. Her taking the money just proves that everyone has a price to stop fighting for what they believe is right [which I fully agreed with her cause at first, but now she lost my respect for taking the $35,000].

[sentinel28a]

SongstressLenne, on 21 July 2010 - 07:50 AM, said:

I wasn't happy when I found out the other prom the school set up was a possible decoy to keep her away. If it seriously was the case then she has every right to fight the school over this, I don't see a reason for money costs other than lawyer fees and the cost of what her prom was though. Her taking the money just proves that everyone has a price to stop fighting for what they believe is right [which I fully agreed with her cause at first, but now she lost my respect for taking the $35,000].

I don't necessarily lose respect for her there, mainly because if someone said, "Look, I'm sorry you got ticked off. Will $35,000 make you feel better?" Well, yes, actually. I'd take the money too. I am that much of a mercenary.

My only question is was the entire thing done to get the money. How hard would it be for someone now to show up with a same-sex partner (they don't even have to actually be gay, just claim to be), then if they get refused or even delayed, turn around and sue someone? This is what lawyers thrive on.

While there are definite and good reasons to sue--and heck, this girl did have a point--one of the reasons why we've got problems in this country is the out-of-control lawsuit mania that people have. I joked with one of my doctors before my surgery that if he screwed up I'd sue him. It actually scared him, and he almost sent me to another doctor because he thought I was serious. He didn't want to operate under that kind of pressure, that if one tiny thing went wrong he'd be facing malpractice.

So if she was being honest to what she believes in, good for her. But if it comes out later that this was just a stunt to get some free cash, then a pox upon her and her house.

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"Yes, I'm quoting Shakespeare"

[XenoBlade]

lol money, the bandaid.

I quite don't like how this turned out.

So basically make a big stand, and stand up for something that alot of people down south don't accept, and sell out for money.

Yup, that sure was a step towards equality. >_>

I kinda was meh about this entire case. I try to stay away from the whole gay/lesbian thing, and let people do whatever, but seriously, taking the money settlement is so lame imo.

[Matt PNiewski]

So what it comes down to:


School screws up by being stupid apes.

She also acts like a stupid ape.

Everyone is a stupid ape.

She gets thirty five thou.


Moral of the story: Apes are cool?

[Voxx]

Matt PNiewski, on 22 July 2010 - 11:19 AM, said:

Moral of the story: Apes are cool?

Nuuu...Apes receive and give money.

[mcduck]

Good, she deserves every penny of it. If I were here, I'd throw my own prom.

[proxy]

Well atleast schools now know a good lesson. If same sex couples will like to go to prom together and they don't let them it'll cost them 35K.

[Krystal]

http://www.usatoday....ovie15_st_N.htm


Just saw on the news that they are now making a movie about her.

[TekoMuto]

step one: become controversial
step two: get butt hurt over how people won't accept how controversial you are
step three: sue anyone whom opposes your (open minded and extremely tolerant of everything) opinions
step four: demand world revolves around you, if not, world is biggoted, untolerable and owes you everything
step five: ?????
step six: profit

[TaiyakiOni]

Jack_of_hearts, on 20 July 2010 - 08:58 PM, said:

according to the article, she IS going to a community college. 35k isn't as much as you think. sure, she could get out in two years for 10k, then turn around and pay up to 17k per semester at a university just in tuition.

The College of Dupage which is one of the top 5 rated community colleges of the USA is only about $1.5k a year for a full course load. Even adding in the cost of books thats only about 2k per semester. Following this she'd only spend about 8k in the 2 years of community college.

Unless for some reasons other community colleges are that much more expensive that 10k IS the norm for 2 years.

[Alkaren Hyralt]

I think we still need tort reform.

[frzndaqiri]

My community college doesn't transfer to university credits - so best I can do is deal w/ a bunch of 2 year degree options (cause I can't even begin to afford uni costs). Your mileage varies based on where you live and where you're able to move to.

[that-one-girl]

I have mixed feelings. I'm glad she fought back and won, but I feel like giving her $35K is...shallow for lack of a better word.

[Stkbayfield]

Sometimes it's difficult to make an absoloute moral right or wrong on the situation. In one way, we have a person who was clearly wronged by an ridiculous prejudice and certainly deserves to be angry at the institution for the wrong-doing.

On the other, it's attacking the school district and not the ignorant morons who did this in the first place, and so the question becomes, do the administration feel the whip of the lash, or do they continue on undettered that the tax payer's money is being taken and that they may have to simply cut more from the schools (and being in one of the IL districts that had major funding cuts this year, I would be angry at that).

I couldn't say the staff of the school deserve a legal punishment, but at the very least I know that if I cost my company a large legal fee, I know damned well I wouldn't be working there anymore. So, if it teaches a lesson, then I'm happy. But still, taking money where money does not exist is just not right.

It's the frivilous lawsuits which damage public service industries and worsen the system for all who are in it.

[XenoBlade]

TekoMuto, on 15 October 2010 - 11:31 AM, said:

step one: become controversial
step two: get butt hurt over how people won't accept how controversial you are
step three: sue anyone whom opposes your (open minded and extremely tolerant of everything) opinions
step four: demand world revolves around you, if not, world is biggoted, untolerable and owes you everything
step five: ?????
step six: profit

QFT